UMF’s Arts Weeks to begin April 21

FARMINGTON — A curtain-raiser to the University of Maine at Farmington’s annual University-wide Symposium, this year’s Arts Week will take place Thursday, April 21, to Wednesday, April 27, with a collection of creative events by UMF students. All events are free and open to the public.

All events are curated by UMF arts administration seniors Christina Hallowell, of Presque Isle, and Hannah Watson, of Burlington, Vermont.

The Senior Art Show, “Company Picnic,” kicks off Arts Week with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, April 21, in the UMF Arts Gallery and Flex Space Gallery in the Emery Community Arts Center. A diverse compilation of work, the exhibit features the senior capstone work of six talented student artists, and runs through May 14.

• Pixel Hunter and Animation Festival by UMF students from all departments, 7 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center.

Tuesday, April 26:

Back-to-back performances, animation and multimedia projects throughout Merrill Hall and the Emery Community Arts Center, begin at 6 p.m. and include:

• “Letters,” a one-act play about the letters being sent to and from a man at war and his family and how the ones he loves cope with his absence. This production will be benefitting the Travis Mills Foundation, with all donations going directly to this special cause. The cast and crew would like to dedicate the performance to Travis and all of our Veterans making sacrifices every day. Directed by Meg Scully; written by David Setchell.

• “Drizzle,” a graphically notated sound art piece that centers on emotional connections to colors and the perception of lines and shapes. Performers will express their perception of the score through their instrument of choice. Conducted/Composed by Krysta Norris and performed by UMF students.

• “Coping With Heavy Metal Music,” people were interviewed with the question in mind, “How do you use this type of music to help yourself emotionally and mentally?” A sound piece by Tabatha Edes of the interviews along with portrait drawings will be shown of the people who give insight into why they listen to heavy metal music. This presentation will give anyone a better sense of why people listen and choose this music genre.

• “Jabber’s Adventure,” a short animation, by Jagger Trouant, that tells the comedic misadventures of Jabber, a dimwitted roman actor and his pursuit of happiness. Come witness its very first screening and stay tuned after for a Q&A to learn how the project developed and where it is planned to go from here.

• “Audio Game,” in this multimedia project, Simon Rollins concentrates on sound to carry listeners into a reality separate from the one they already know. The work, which also utilizes film and theatrics, aims to blur the line between representation and truth, as well as question what impact the imagined has on our authentic world.

Tuesday, April 26, and Wednesday, April 27:

• “ASMR: Therapeutic Tingles,” Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response is designed to stimulate a “tingling” sensation in viewers. In two live ASMR sessions, Tyler Provencher will attempt to induce such “tingles” in real time. Featured ASMR sounds will include whispering, crinkling paper, water sounds etc.; 8 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center.

Wednesday, April 27:

• “The Soach Sun,” written by The 24 Hour Play Co., directed by Aaron Verrill ,revolves around a small town’s source of news, the prolific Soach Sun. The Sun allows the audience to experience the charms of this small town through the eyes of the various reporters and journalists that have kept the town of Soach informed since they can remember. However, what starts off as a seemingly normal look into the town’s little world quickly becomes a trip down the absurdist rabbit hole when a mysterious being known as ‘Indigo’ arrives; 6 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center.

• “The Innocent Murderer,” written by Tucker Atwood and directed by Keith Clark, is the story of Clark, a nice guy. But when he runs over Frank with his car, goes on the run, and manages to fall in with a group of criminals, things get a little less clear. Add in some interesting characters, fourth-wall nudging dialogue and a pizza, and hilarity ensues. Remember, though, the audience is responsible for deciding whether this man is innocent or guilty; 6:30 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center.

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